I remember the night before telling my friends that I wasn't going to meet them at Mansion with Wyclef Jean. Instead i choose to drink at home knowing that a late night on sobe would not mix with going 60miles. I remember having the same pit in my stomach as the last Jup-Tiki race a month or so earlier. Thats why I drank and alsi why I didn't sleep that great...excited... I remember being late to Jupiter....not knowing where to start in jupiter...uhhh just wasn't paying attention I guess in pre-race notices. I had to call Neil to get steered in right before race meeting. Last time we started in Jupiter (on that blaster Lauderdale trip earlier) further north..up near the inlet where there is no beach. So that is where we went first (my daddy drove me up there...he's 82). Anyway I called Neil right before the pre-race meeting and found out the course was shorter by about 3 miles or something??? Anyway. I got launched late and was just too rushed in beginning to feel good right out of the chute.....Couple guys were struggling on beach just downwind of me and I had trouble getting powered immediately cause their kites were in the way. I finally busted through the shore break after about 3-4 attempts and was exhausted. Then I was coming up short on clearing the pier and I remember huge rollers crashing into base of pier and I was really close. Too close for comfort so I played it safe...acck...
So I tacked back north and went back against about 25 kites going south and I was freaking mad bout that.....so I then came back south and was about 5th from last going around the pier and that wasn't any good... the guys around me were staying offshore in the chop and not getting down in the wave breaks so I stayed there with them. my camel pack was all messed up and i lost valualbe time straightening that mess out. I'll be a lot more careful with the camel pack next time cause I was distracting to me but I loved drinking from it. I remember the wind and waves not being as strong and huge as last time adn I was feeling some relief when the wind went light. I was flying a SB2 12mtr with short lines and thought I had the right combo. I weigh 200lbs. I remember when the wind went a bit light that I gained a lot on all around me and passed some people. I rode toeside about a 1/4 of the way...I just crashed transtioning back to regular and probably lost 15 minutes with those crashes.
i remember being really upset with myself for not getting back in the breaks. Actually when the wind did let up ...close to the checkpoint if I remember correctly I stayed in closer to shore. Then lifeguard stands and Neils haunting voice about staying clear so out to sea again...safe and slow....uggh. I rember thinking that Demian would have grabbed me and gotten me in closed to shore if he were around me but instead he was battling Andy Hurdman and Billy Parker I guess...In a whole different league than me.
My left front foot still hurts (feel like I broke it) so I'll remember that. Lets see....I remember the Octane dude (Marc Danis) in front of me at the very end beating me by 15 seconds after 60 long ass miles. He and I raced neck and neck almost the entire race trading places several times. Also some dude with a white kite with a surfboard and he had better speed in the chop...I remember seeing him just pull away even though he was crashing more often than me. It is weird but I was thinking that I should have been on a strapped directional. He finished maybe 15 minutes ahead of me I guess? And I remember hoping that Stacey was behind me and then at the end seeing that she beat me....acck!! I rmember being behind Rick I for a long time and then he crashed and I got bye. I didn't know it was him but I remember the blue crossbow and he was having trouble re-launching. I was thinking how bad that would suck to crash within 5 miles of the finish and not being able to re-launch the kite becasue of a leaking leading edge or something....then I found out it was Rick I. I love the feeling of finishing the race and Neil running up to me at the end making me feel like I just landed the space shuttle or something!! It was a great
The Treasure Trove afterwards and hanging, talking to a bunch of people and learning a lot...thx Demian!! ...missed Rick I as evidently just left for his Christmas party. Liked talking to Stacey, Frank Surface and his friends from Jacksonville who did their first big-ass downwinder. Looking forward to more events and doing this format...truly a good adrenaline rush for me and something to look forward to in the future!! Great job Neil and Rick I for keeping the fun out there!!
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